THE helicopter pilot killed in a crash in London last week was aware of freezing fog on his route and said he would "land in a field if I have to", a preliminary report into the accident has revealed.

Captain Pete Barnes, who was 50, died when his aircraft clipped a high-rise crane on top of a building in Vauxhall and crashed to the ground below on January 16.

Matthew Wood, 39, from Sutton, was also killed as he walked to work.

A report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said Mr Barnes' client - who he was due to pick up at Elstree in Hertfordshire after flying there from Redhill Aerodrome - had twice suggested he should postpone the journey because of poor weather.